THE EXAMINED LIFE

John 8:3-11
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger. 7 When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 "No one, Sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."


One of my greatest fears when I was growing up was taking a dreaded trip to the doctor. I was paralyzed by fear mostly because of what I thought the doctor would find during the examination. I just knew the doctor would find cancer, diabetes, sickle-cell anemia, or some other illness. As I got older, however, I realized that regular examinations and checkups are good and beneficial for my physical health.

In John 8:7, Jesus used a calm statement to cause a group of men, who had caught a woman in the act of adultery, to examine themselves spiritually: "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." After Jesus said that, He stooped down and began to write on the ground.

If any one of those men had thrown a stone at the woman, he would have been guilty of delusion. Being put in a position to judge others is a lot of pressure--it can result in some serious self-examination.

Self-examination for the believer is the conscious reflection on one's own character, motives, and actions, in order to judge whether they are truly in accordance with Christian values. Examination should take place on the basis of God's revelation of Himself in the Bible and in Jesus. Why do most people refuse to live an examined life? It's painful to diagnose the sickness in our lives. Spiritual self-examination thwarts our attempt to manage an image and helps us to build a character of substance.

One of the keys to living an examined life is giving God freedom to go deep and reveal and heal our sick spiritual state. He examines us not to destroy us but to develop us into people who look like Jesus.

Just as physical examinations are good for our physical health, spiritual examinations are good for our spiritual health. Let's pray and ask the Great Physician to search us and to reveal the harmful ways in our lives. --Marvin Williams

DESTINATION POINTS

* When was the last time I had a spiritual self-examination? What was the diagnosis?
* Which of my harmful ways has the Lord revealed to me lately?
* I will read and meditate on the following passages about self-examination: Job 13:9,23; Psalm 11:4-5; 26:2; Proverbs 5:21; Jeremiah 17:10.

bottom line: Self-disclosure prevents self-deception.

soul journey